“Paradoxically, Big Tech’s attack on whistleblower-insiders is often aimed at the whistleblower’s disclosure of so-called confidential inside information of the company. Yet, the very concerns expressed by the Facebook whistleblower and others inside Big Tech go to the heart of these same allegations—violations of privacy of the consuming public whose own personal data has been used in a way that puts a target on their backs.”
–Whistleblower Attorney and Partner Renée Brooker, quoted in the National Law Review
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testified on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection regarding Facebook’s knowledge of the harms its platform causes to consumers. As an attorney who represents whistleblowers, Ms. Brooker gave Ms. Haugen’s testimony additional context, “Big Tech’s attempt to silence whistleblowers are antithetical to the principles that underlie federal laws and federal whistleblower programs that seek to ferret out illegal activity. Those reporting laws include federal and state False Claims Acts, and the SEC Whistleblower Program, which typically feature whistleblower rewards and anti-retaliation provisions.”